As she returned home carrying the week’s groceries, Mrs Musgrave reached to snack on a grape.

Within seconds, the fruit became lodged in her throat causing her to choke.

In a state of panic, the 78-year-old ran through to her husband Peter who helplessly watched in horror as his wife turned blue.

But, in a remarkable coincidence, three firefighters from Red Watch had arrived for a routine smoke alarm test, and jumped to Mrs Musgrave’s aid.

While one of the crew, Chris Bewick, called for paramedics, another, Kris Murray, grabbed Mrs Musgrave, who has a pacemaker, and began to slap her on the back in the hope it would dislodge the blockage.

When this didn’t work he carried out the Heimlich Manoeuvre and dislodged the grape to partially clear her airway.

Finally, she coughed the fruit up, still struggling to breathe.

Mrs Musgrave, of Lowthian Crescent, Walker, Newcastle, said: “I feel extremely lucky they were there – if they hadn’t been, I would have gone.

“My husband would not have known what to do because he was panicking, so I just feel extremely grateful and extremely lucky to be here.

“The whole thing is a blur, really, but I remember feeling very panicked and frightened. I remember Kris jumping straight into action and grabbing me, doing everything he could to get the grape out.

“All three of them were marvellous – they saved my life and I don’t know how to thank them enough.

“The paramedics were fantastic as well, but they may not have made it in time if Kris, David and Chris hadn’t been there. I would have probably been gone by then.”

Kris managed to dislodge the grape from Mrs Musgrave’s throat but the panicked pensioner still had problems breathing.

The third firefighter David Royal then stepped in to calm her down and coax her back into breathing properly.

As the colour started coming back to her cheeks, paramedics arrived and checked over a shocked and drained Mrs Musgrave, deciding she was well enough to not need hospital treatment.

Mr Musgrave, 78, who also has a pacemaker, added: “I was chatting to the three of them about safety when all of a sudden Violet came running in – she couldn’t breathe and she was turning blue.

“I was just lost, I hadn’t a clue what to do because panic just kicked in. She was in a terrible state, it was terrifying.

“Kris just jumped in, moved me out the way and got to work dislodging the grape. It took about three or four minutes to get it out, they were the longest three minutes of my life.”

As if saving her life was not enough, the three quick-thinking firemen came back a few days later to check on Mrs Musgrave and make sure she hadn’t been hurt when Kris was trying to dislodge the grape.

Kris said: “It was very unexpected, and it happened so quickly.

“We were working on foot and didn’t have any of the usual life-saving equipment we would normally have on an appliance.

“We just had our hands, common sense and our training. I was just pleased I managed to carry out what I had been trained to do and it was reassuring to know I had the crew with me to back me up.

“You need your mates with you when something awful like this happens and we worked as a team to save her.”